By Chris Dorsey – IowaPolitics.com May 1, 2008
DES MOINES – Clive businessman Marty Parrish was escorted from Sen.John McCain's town hall meeting by Des Moines police and members of the Secret Service after asking McCain if he had called his wife Cindy an expletive in 1992.
Parrish, an licensed Baptist minister who holds a master's degree in political science, was questioned by Secret Service agents before being released. He was not charged in the incident. Parrish asked whether McCain called his wife Cindy an expletive related to the female anatomy, as has been alleged in the book "The Real McCain," written by Dem strategist Cliff Schecter.
McCain's response got him a round of applause from the crowd: "There's people here who don't respect that kind of language, so I'll move on to the next questioner in the back."
In an interview with IowaPolitics.com, Parrish said his intentions were simple in posing the question to McCain. The former Joe Biden campaign worker stressed he is very concerned about the Republican presidential nominee's temperament.
"We have a man whose temper can get the best of him," Parrish said. "What I am worried about is his temper. Our country is in a serious crisis. This election is the most significant one since 1860. It appears America is asleep -- so I stood up and asked the question."
Parrish signed in as a Huffington Post contributor and was taking pictures at the town hall meeting.
He handed out a leaflet prior to the event alleging McCain called his wife the name in 1992 while on the campaign trail running for re-election in the Senate.
The leaflet asked members of media why they were focusing on the controversial statements made in the past by Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama's pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright and ignoring the alleged comment McCain made to his wife.
"Barack Obama spent three weeks defending that," Parrish said afterwards.
"Why does the news media continue to ignore this outrageous statement by John McCain, but fixates on Barack Obama's truthful observation that some people are bitter?" the leaflet reads."
Last updated 06/05/2008
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